The 2019 Better Public Media Student Challenge

Now in its second year, and widened to include currently enrolled tertiary students, the Better Public Media Student Challenge invites entries which offer thoughtful and compelling responses to this question: 'How well is today's media serving your community? What could it do better?'

Entries are invited from all students enrolled in Y10–13 in New Zealand schools, and from all students enrolled in a New Zealand tertiary institution in 2019.

Responses can take a number of different forms:

An essay (1,200–2,000 words)

A short film/documentary, of up to seven minutes (this can be a team effort)

Authored blog or other self-generated online content, with text of 1,200–2,000 words

A research report, reviewing research sources and possibly including original field research

Something else (last year we had a song and lyrics!).

There are good prizes: $1,000 first prize and $500 second prize for secondary school students (also $500 for the media studies department of the winning school). The winning tertiary student receives $1,000.

Deadline for entries is 5pm, Sunday 13 October. You can find additional information and an entry form at https://betterpublicmedia.org.nz/news1/2019-bpm-student-challenge.

For further information, you can contact Dr Geoff Lealand at geoff.lealand@waikato.ac.nz